Take Informed Decisions With These 6 Modern Diet Myths Demystified

Misinformation is the biggest peril you need to encounter when taking an informed decision. A lot of hearsays and rumors float around but not all of them are true. Check out the following list of the top 6 diet myths deserving demystification.

1. You need to avoid eggs to save your heart

While it is true that eggs consist of a substantial amount of cholesterol, you can still eat them.

Only thing you need to remember is to keep a balance, especially if you have a history of cardiac ailments. In fact, there is also a good shortcut to enjoy eggs without packing in the cholesterol.

The yolk is the main concentrate of cholesterol (about 211 mg per egg). You can simply avoid the yolk and eat the egg white if you include eggs in your diet every alternate day. However, if you don’t eat eggs regularly, include them once or twice per week to keep cholesterol in control. Eggs carry several other benefits such as a very unique antioxidant that benefits the eyes.

2. Saturated fat is not the biggest culprit of heart disease

This revelation can come as a shocker as even most doctors recommend a low amount of saturated fat to keep the body healthy.

However, the latest researches show that saturated fat actually increases the good cholesterol content (HDL or High Density Lipoprotein) in the blood.

The saturated fat also transforms the ‘very bad’ cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL) to large granules of LDL, which are relatively less harmful than the small granules. So, do not exclude cheese, butter, coconut oil, or red meat, but keep them within a limit.

3. High protein diet cause kidney and bone issues

While it is true that protein extracts calcium from the bones, it is only a short term effect. In the long-term, protein actually strengthens the bones and minimizes the risk of fractures.

When it comes to kidney diseases, studies fail to prove conclusively that high protein causes problems. In fact, the high protein diet lowers high blood pressure and helps keep diabetes in control. What are the two main reasons of kidney diseases? You guessed it; they are high blood pressure and diabetes!

4. Divide you daily diet in several small meals

This is a persistent theory everyone often recommends to maintain a constant satiety level. The logic of small meals state that with every meal your metabolism activates.

Thereby, it is a great way to keep your metabolism system active throughout the day. However, this logic has been put to test in controlled studies.

Results show that the total amount of food in your system defines the metabolism rate and not the number of times you eat food. In fact, many small meals run the risk of eating beyond your limits, making you obese eventually.

5. Starving eventually leads to overeating

This is again a common myth. While heavy starving is definitely not recommended, yet in a controlled environment, it can lead to weight loss wonders! Overeating presents some risks, but you must have a personal control mechanism.

Skipping meals is not as bad as you think as long as you do not eat a huge amount of food in your next meal. Always leave some space in your satiety level, and your body fulfills the extra requirement by enhanced burning of calories.

6. Low carb diets are bad

This myth stems from the fact that the body uses carbohydrates as its main energy source. However, it might come as surprising that low carb diets are not as bad as many diet plans advertise.

Studies show such diets significantly reduce the blood pressure level. It also lowers blood sugar and minimizes the risk of diabetes over a long term.

They also increases the HDL concentration of the blood and changes harmful LDL to benign LDL. You need to proceed systematically when figuring out the unique energy requirements of your body. Calculating the BMI index can be a good place to start.